The Guest by Emma Cline

 

This was a very interesting book, especially the end!  And I am not alone in that appraisal.  I was not expecting the end at all!

And I am pleased about that, because the end that I was envisioning would have been somewhat obvious. Not that I was certain how it would end, but I did not think it would end well.

That is all I will say about that!

The main character, Alex, is certainly not a sympathetic one; she is quite an enigma actually.  I didn't like her. I kept trying to figure her out and I can't say I ever did and I think that is the author's intent.  I should really listen to an interview with the author to try to figure this book out.  I am glad I read it, but I am not sure what Emma Cline wants from her reader.

Matrix by Lauren Groff

 I read this for my book club and it took me a while to get into it, but in the end, I loved it.  I listened to this book - for the most part - and the narration was suberb. I think I got so much more from it being read to me.  The language is beautiful and lyrical, even though a lot of the story is grim.

This is a novel that purports to tell the story of a real nun who lived in the 12th century.  Not much is known about her, so Lauren Groff tells HER side of the story and she does it very well!

Tender Mercies by Dennis Lehane

I have not read a Dennis Lehane novel before and have always wanted to. When this came out and was reviewed, it had a great deal of appeal for me because of its historical significance; it's a crime novel set in "Southie" in Boston and takes place during the very difficult time when the schools were desegregated. I heard the author interviewed and heard about the character development and it sounded interesting.  And it was!

From the NYTimes review:

That tumultuous summer provides the backdrop to Dennis Lehane’s excellent and unflinching new novel, “Small Mercies.” The book has all the hallmarks of Lehane at his best: a propulsive plot, a perfectly drawn cast of working-class Boston Irish characters, razor-sharp wit and a pervasive darkness through which occasional glimmers of hope peek out like snowdrops in early spring.

This book was very satisfying, but in the end, very sad.